Phobia
by Robin Lee
Summary: Mario, Luigi, and Peach must each face their deepest ....well, phobias. Things get...well, interesting!
1. It begins....

Story ~*Just a note*….. I talk to myself and Nintendo's ultra-cool characters (whom I don't own) through-out the story, so lets get the symbols straight:

(Mario)[Luigi]*(Peach)***Me**

*Are we all clear on that? I'm sure you'll get it. They are only used when they are a paragraph of their own. And another thing. This is not a fanfic that refers to sex and homosexuals. If anything in the context seems to hint that, you're wrong, my friends. _Very wrong!!_ Hope you enjoy it anyway.*

"Hey Mario!" called Luigi. "I bet I can skip this rock farther than yours!"

The Mario Brothers were invited to a weekend at Princess Peach's summer beach house, and were thoroughly enjoying their time off. **Why Peach has a summer beach house that is a secret from Koopa, I'll never know.**

"How much you wanna bet?" Mario asked him.

"How much you got?" responded Luigi, narrowing his eyes.

"20 Mushroom coins."

"Dang! Where'd you get all that?"

"What's it to you?" Mario answered playfully. "Throw your rock."

Luigi threw his; it skipped 5 times. "Hah!" he gloated.

Mario threw his; it skipped 6 times. "Hah!" he retorted. "Now give me my money."

"Ummm…." Luigi looked around, stalling for time. "Can I pay you in installments?"

"No. Money. Now!" Mario jumped at him, and Luigi jumped aside, grabbing a fishing net and defending himself with it. He managed to hit Mario, once in the shin and once in the head, but his older brother simply yanked the pole out of his hands. He cornered him at the end of the dock. "Give me my money," Mario smiled. "Or someone's getting a baptism!"

"No! No, wait, Mar-—aahh!!" Mario had pushed him a bit, and Luigi lost his footing. He expected the cold lake water to cover him, but Mario held him by his overalls, leaving Luigi leaning precariously over the edge. "Mario, please, listen to me…" Luigi's back was to the water, and he glanced at it nervously.

"You gonna pay me or what?" Mario loosed his grip on Luigi's overalls.

"You know how brothers tell each other things, right?"

"Last chance…." Mario let him fall back further.

"Aahh! Mario, I can't swim!!" Luigi yelled desperately.

Mario gaped and almost let him go accidentally. He yanked his brother up and stared at him intently. "You can't swim?! What kind of a brother are you?"

Luigi, who had been kissing the dock for joy of returning from 'death', looked up guiltily.

"A plumber who can't swim, what a disgrace…." Mario mumbled.

"Well, now that you know, I suggest you stay out of my way around the lak—whoa!" Mario pushed Luigi in the water. He rose to the surface, floundering and sputtering. "Wha—wha…" he gasped.

"Relax, bro. It's 3 feet deep." Mario laughed. Luigi stood up; the water only came to his waist. "Ha, ha-ha, oh yeah, real funny….. now get me a towel!!" Mario kept laughing as he helped his disgruntled brother out of the water…only to be pulled in himself. Mario splashed to get up, and grabbed his water soaked hat. He looked at Luigi spitefully, then at his hat. "Don't mess with my hat, man." The plumbers removed themselves from the water and went to dry off before dinner.

"Hamburgers…..cool." Luigi stated as they came down the stairs. Everyone was talkative during the meal, mainly because everyone was happy. No Bowser to worry about, no kingdom to rule and protect. Everything seemed just peachy….

*(Excuse me??)*

**Oh, yes, sorry. Do excuse the pun.**

*(That's better.)*

**Sigh…..**

Anyway….. they finished their meal and sat down on the wooden dock over looking the lake.

"Watching the sunset….its so beautiful," aid Peach dreamily. The plumbers agreed.

"I'm spent," groaned Mario. "I'm off to bed. Anyone else?"

"It's 7 at night!" exclaimed Peach.

"Your loss," said Mario as he got up and started for the house.

"Wait! I'm coming too," said Luigi as he got up and followed his brother.

Peach sat on the dock for quite some time after that, reflecting. Eventually, she too stood up and headed for bed.

The next day, Mario, Peach and Luigi decided to go out on the boat and explore a river that branched from the lake. Luigi was hesitant to get in, but Mario assured him privately that he wasn't in for a dunking.

They were some ways off, lazily rowing along one stream, when something big and green rose from the depths in front of them. A pipe came out from the water, then lowered down again, just enough to suck all the water into it. Peach was the first to notice it, and with mouth agape, began to furiously row in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing?" asked Mario. Then he noticed a whirl pool ahead of them. "Uh-oh." All three of them were rowing for their lives. But the current was too strong, and despite their efforts, the Princess, the plumbers and the pirogue (boat) were sucked into the pipe. As their screams died off in the distance, the pipe closed up and disappeared as if nothing had happened.

Luigi woke up on wet, hard ground. He picked himself up carefully and took in his surroundings. Not much of a view, it was pitch black save for the one spot of light that shone on them. Luigi woke the others up, who were just as confused as he was. "Where are we?" **Come on, people. Let's just guess that this is Bowser's doing. Must we remain in the dark about obvious things? He hee..**

[Would you please shut up? We're only trying to make this more interesting!]

*(Yeah…and cut out the corny jokes! Sheesh…)*

**Alright, fine. I can take a hint……. he hee, so funny...)**

(Can we please get back to the story??)

The three rose from the damp ground, and looked around curiously. "What is this place?" demanded Mario to no one in particular. To his surprise a voice answered him.

"WAAAAZZZZUUUUPP!!!" A deep voice rumbled through the dark room.

"Oh come on Bowser, that is _so old!_" complained Peach.

"Hey, don't make me angry. I can do whatever I want with you, so I suggest you all behave."

"What is this, Koopa? Your idea of a game?" shouted Mario.

"Precisely, my good plunging man. Welcome to my Fun House!" They were blinded by bright lights coming on all at once, and when their eyes adjusted, found themselves in what seemed a maze of mirror-lined walls and rooms.

"Man, I _hate_ the circus," grumbled Luigi.

"Some words of advice before you all set out to 'escape'," Bowser chuckled deviously. "Stay friendly, stay together, and stay alive!" He laughed in an evil manner, then all was silent.

Ch2


	2. Let's not fight, now

Story

~

***Another reminder on who's who: (Mario); [Luigi]; *(Peach)*; **Me*****

Peach looked around. "Well, where should we start?"

**….At the beginning.**

(Grrr….)

**You deserved that one, buddy.**

[Leave us alone, why don't you?]

**Fine. I'll go, even though I know the secret to get out of here…**

*(What??)*

(She's bluffing.)

[Who votes to keep this story going before the readers die and rot in their chairs of boredom?]

They moved carefully through the maze, staying close together. After what seemed like hours, they stopped and rested. Luigi looked up at the ceiling. "I could have sworn we've been here before," he mumbled.

"Well, I didn't see _you_ leading the way through this heck of a situation." Mario retorted. "If you have a problem with the way I'm directing you, go ahead and be the leader!"

"Fine! I'll do a better job than you ever will…"

Peach spoke up. "Jealous are we?"

"Hey!" Luigi yelled back. "Our sibling rivalry is none of your business!" They kept walking, aimlessly following the long circles of mirrors. What seemed like more hours later, they stopped again.

"Look familiar to you?" grumbled Mario.

"Ah, who asked you?"

"Yo, Lewis and Clark! Maybe if we stopped fighting we'd get a lot more done," suggested Peach tersely.

"Who deemed _you_ the ruler of my life?" demanded Mario. He turned to Luigi. "And _you_! Why don't you just go your own way, and I'll go mine!"

"Oh, is that the way you want it?"

"Yeah, you heard me, you aqua-phobic freak!!"

Luigi went red in the face, then attacked his brother head on. The two of them wrestled around for what seemed like even _more_ hours, especially to Peach. She just rolled her eyes and tried looking for a door.

The Marios took no notice of her, but continued to fight. And they fought dirty! Biting, clawing, punching, and kicking. (We won't say where for that last one.)

Peach moved along the mirrored walls in the area the plumbers were wrestling, keeping her hands on the glass, and pushing on a panel once in a while. She stopped, exasperated, and cried out, "Can one of you idiot plumbers please help me??"

She leaned heavily on a mirror behind her, which happened to be the one she was looking for. It lifted up from behind her, and Peach tumbled back into darkness, screaming.

Now the brothers looked up. They stared at the panel as it slowly closed.

"Peach!" yelled Luigi. They untangled themselves and scrambled for the mirror just as it shut. They frantically pushed at it, yelling for the Princess. Their efforts were futile, and they sat exhausted on the floor opposite each other. They caught their breath, and glared at one another. They started yelling at the same time…

"Why weren't you watching her??"

"If you had half a brain, you'd have…"

**Sigh. You'd think they would have learned by now, but nooo…**

"Don't make me come over there, you skinny little…," threatened Mario.

"Bring it on, fat freak!!" shouted Luigi angrily.

Mario had taken only two out-raged steps when the floor beneath him gave way and formed a steep slide. He disappeared, and his yells died away as Luigi stood there in shock. He came to himself and raced to the opening, but again, he was too late. He knelt there, stunned. He jumped when he heard a loud voice resound through the hall. "If you had half a brain," Bowser repeated the words. "You'd have…..…_listened to my advice!!!_" His laughter again faded away, leaving Luigi alone. Alone in the nightmarish corridors. Alone in the house of horrors


	3. Oh, the horror!

Story

Ch3

Mario fell headlong into a dark chute. Upon arrival at the end, he sailed into the air and landed hard on his rear. "Ooff!" Suddenly, the chute from which he came closed up, and Mario was surrounded by stone walls. The dimly lit room was square. He rubbed his backside, and, frowning, asked himself. "What the heck?"

Again, his question was answered. "Ah, my little plumber! You finally arrived to your room. Can I get you anything? Daiquiri? Peanuts?" Bowser laughed cruely.

"Why am I here, Koopa? And where's Peach, and Luigi?"

"Why, this is your little room of horrors, Mario."

"Hah. What, you think you can show me a scary movie, and then I'll be all 'traumatized'? Ooh, I'm real scared now!" Mario said sarcastically. "Come on, what's this really about?"

"What if I were to tell you I knew your deepest fear?"

Mario snorted. "Fat chance. What is there to be afraid of?"

"Oh, I don't know. Could it be, ummm ..…..heights?" Bowser said as he snickered to himself.

Mario stood rigid. "Ummm, no, it's not. Whatever..…gave you that idea?"

"Stop pretending, plumber! You and I know your scared stiff of heights. Or should I say…scared to _death!_" At that moment, Mario heard something like the grinding of gears, and the middle of the floor suddenly opened in a long straight line….right where Mario stood.

"Whoa!" Mario gained his footing and backed up. The crack widened, until it reached 5 feet across. Mario had only 6 feet left on each side of the room. He crept carefully to the edge of the line and cautiously looked down. The bottom, if there was one, seemed to go on for miles. Mario gasped and backed up against the wall. He shut his eyes tight and told himself, "This is a nightmare, Mario. It's _not….real_."

Bowser spoke sinisterly. "Of course, Mario. It's all just a nightmare. But it _is…real._" Bowser laughed, louder and louder, as the plumber backed against the wall, bewildered.

~

Not far off, Peach was getting the same treatment. She too had landed in a room that was square, with not much light. After looking at her surroundings, she yelled indignantly.

"Why am I here, you stupid over-grown reptile?! This isn't one of your bribes to get me to marry you, is it?"

"Aww…Peach, you mustn't talk so," replied Bowser in mock sadness. "It hurts my feelings, and it makes my little friends angry…"

"What little friends?" asked Peach carefully.

"You shall see, my dear. Now, to answer your question. This is your room of horror---"

"Room of horror??" Peach cut him off. "I thought you said this was a Fun House!"

**Most people, being wise, would assume that any Fun House is a room of horror…**

Peach spoke again. "And where's Mario and Luigi?"

"Mario and Luigi? I thought you didn't care about those 'idiot plumbers'," growled Bowser as Peach hung her head. "They're getting theirs."

"Their _what_?" asked Peach fearfully. "And what am _I_ getting?"

"_This!_" answered Bowser loudly. And with that, the lights went out.

Peach jumped and suppressed a small cry. It was pitch black and she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Bowser's voice frightened her more.

"Your afraid of the dark, aren't you Peach?" She could only nod, a motion that couldn't be seen. She found her voice and asked shakily, "What about your .…little friends?"

He didn't respond. The Princess stood there, alone in the dark. She set out to blindly find the wall, thinking how much of a stupid jerk Bowser was, when she felt something like a tingle on her arm. She jumped and brushed the feeling away, only to find the same reaction on her leg. She cried out and fiercely hit at her leg. Soon she was covered, with this creepy, tingly, feeling…

"_Spiders!!_" she shrieked. She screamed and struggled to get them off, hitting her face, her dress, her arms, wherever she felt their dreaded touch. "Make them stop! Please---pleas--pl---," she sobbed, cutting herself off. She fell into the walls, bouncing off them as she continuing to swat arachnids. "I'll….do…gasp….anything!!"

No one answered her screams. No one heard her cries. She was so nervous and so scared, she grew light-headed.

She thought she would faint from her struggle. Bowser finally spoke, menacingly.

"Anything, eh?" Peach nodded in response, too tired to speak.

"I can't hear you!" roared Bowser.

"Yes!" Peach answered weakly, trying to remain on both her feet. Immediately the lights came on, and she squinted to see hundreds of spiders crawl off and away from her, exiting through a small hole in the floor. She collapsed on the ground, trying to steady her breathing and calm herself.

"Anything…" Bowser repeated. "Very well. We shall be married tomorrow, the Mushroom Kingdom will finally be mine, and those plumbers will be out of my way…_terminally!_" At this point, Peach didn't care. She hardly heard him. She sobbed and fought for composure. She could have sworn that tingly feeling was still there…

~

Luigi strolled through the empty halls, looking for a door, and looking at himself in the mirrors.

"Hey, that's kind of funny," he said to himself as his posture was bent up all crooked. He giggled to himself as his head and feet were larger than the rest of him. "Ha ha! This one's rich!!" He doubled over laughing, pointing at his reflection. Glancing at it again, he straightened up and frowned. "Oh wait, that's just me." He looked around to make sure no one saw his embarrassing mistake. He continued his walk through the freakish halls, when he saw a door not far ahead.

"Hey," he thought aloud. "Hey!" He ran for the door, but stopped somewhere close, and leaned on the mirror next to it. He shut his eyes, turned his head the other way, and stuck his hand in front of the opening. Nothing happened. Satisfied, he smiled and turned sharply into it.

"OW!" He smacked his head and fell backwards. Luigi lay on the ground, holding his head, and looked behind him and saw another door. His last endeavor had been a reflection. Grumbling to himself, he got up and staggered into the real door. But Luigi wasn't thinking, and….

[What do you mean, not _thinking??_ And I thought you left!!]

**I meant nothing, good sir.**

[Yeah, that's what I thought!]

**My, that's quite a bump you have there---**

[Beat it, moron! Make with the story already....]

….and the door shut loudly behind him. He raced towards it, pushing with all his might. Giving up, he leaned on the strong metal wall, holding his head. "Man, I should have thought to stick something in there. Anyone would know it would shut behind me---"

"Anyone except an 'aqua-phobic freak!'" Bowser said loudly. His laughter echoed through the room. Luigi ran to the center of the room and yelled, "For your information, buddy, I am not afraid of water in the least! I just can't swim! And what do you want with me?" Bowser didn't answer. It was then that Luigi saw where he was.

His eyes widened with sheer terror as he backed up against the wall. He struggled furiously with the door, which had no handle. He kicked and beat at it madly. He took something out of his pocket: a wrench. He cried out and fumbled with his tool, beating the door with it.

"Help!!" he shouted with fear. "Somebody!! Please help me!!" He kept trying to open the door, but it held fast.

Some minutes later, he threw his wrench across the chamber and sat on the cold metal floor, exhausted. He looked at the room again. It was empty, and covered, wall to wall with strong metal. It was about 10x12 feet…..too close perhaps for Luigi. The ceiling was very high, maybe 50 feet, and there was an opening at the top. It was much too high for anyone to reach. The height of the ceiling only added to the sense of the walls being too close, looking as if they were about to come crashing down. Luigi felt that it was hard to breath. He closed his eyes and tried to think clearly.

"How did Koopa know I'm claustrophobic?" he thought to himself in horror.

~

A/N: Ok, that part with Peach even grossed ME out. Tell me what ya'll think so far. 


	4. It's the middle....

Story

~

~

Mario, in the meantime, was having problems of his own. He hated heights, and stayed glued to his end of the room, frozen. When some two hours passed, he loosened up and began to nervously pace within one foot of the wall.

"Think, man. Think! How am I going to get out of this? He looked at the room for the 20th time. No windows, no doors, no escape. Just that deep, dark hole that would seem to swallow him up at any minute.

He yelled at the ceiling, "I don't know why you're doing this, Bowser. But it's got to stop!" No answer. "Here," he said submittingly. "Here's 10 bucks. Will that do the trick?" Still not answer. Mario rose his voice. "How am I supposed to get out of this, huh? Give me a hint or something?" His voice echoed through the chamber. The silence was too much to bear. Mario exploded.

"This is all your fault, Luigi!!" Mario shouted loudly to the ceiling. He had lost all patience and had finally snapped. Now he only paused for breaths.

"Yeah that's right! You heard me!! You poop-laden, anorexic, taco bell dog eatin', ergonomically shaped for a butt whoopin', wishin'-you-were-from-the-ghetto, stinky head _booger flinger_*!!"

No sooner had the vulgar words left his mouth, than the floor started to move again.

"Aahh!" Mario screamed and raced to the wall, immobilizing himself with fright. He closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see the ever growing hole. All at once, the gears stopped, and Mario opened his eyes, wishing he hadn't.

He had a foot and a half of floor space left.

~

~

Peach sat on the floor, stricken. She was still trying to calm down, and was waiting. Waiting for the next day, when Bowser would come and carry her off to get hitched. Then he would rule and ruin her beautiful kingdom, and Mario and Luigi wouldn't be there to stop it. She lifted her and looked around, thinking.

"Where are those two, anyway?" She frowned, trying to understand what Bowser's other objective was.

Peach's eyes grew big, and she sat up straight. She gasped and looked around the room, as if searching for something. She stood up and said with both fear and determination, "I've got to get out of here and help them."

Glancing at the chamber quickly, she noticed a large metal grate near the ceiling, and spotted the hole where the spiders had come from. She reached in a fold of her glamorous dress, and pulled out a rubber ball. "Just the right size," she smiled with satisfaction.

She crept carefully to the hole, slowly reached out her hand, and shoved the ball in hard. She kicked it in deeper with her heel, and the hole was sealed. Looking both ways, she reached into her dress again, and pulled out an invisible rope. Don't ask ME why she's got all this stuff. She finished her work and turned around and shouted.

"I hate you, Bowser! You're the most disgusting, pig-headed, freakish, snot-faced, smelly turtle mutant I've ever seen!!" She paused. "Not to mention the only one!" Then she waited.

~

Bowser, in his own surveillance room, was watching and hearing his victims with evil delight. Not much interesting was happening, so after a while he kicked back and ate some munchies. His attention was averted to the camera showing the Princess, when she bent down close to the spider hole and made crazy actions near the far end of the room, like she was jumping to reach something.

He listened to her outburst, and soda shot from his mouth in a graceful fountain. _Smelly?_ He growled indignantly to himself. His reptilian eyes narrowed to slits. _Sounds like the royal brat needs another lesson in Fear 101_. Bowser pushed a button on the control panel.

He watched as the lights went out, and waited to hear Peach's screams. All he heard was a noise like stomping. Then Peach started screaming again.

"Make it stop!" he heard her say.

Bowser smiled a smile of Satan himself, then pushed another button and spoke into the microphone.

"Just thought I'd let you know that I heard what you said," he grinned smugly. "And if you do anything like that again, I'll kill the Mario bros. now. Are we understood?"

He heard a crash, and then it was silent. Bowser roared, "Are we understood??" Confused, Bowser switched on the light. What he saw turned his face into a surprised sneer.

No Princess. No spiders. Only a rubber ball where the hole used to be, and a metal grate lying on the floor. He roared in anger as the power to his control center went out.

~

~

Mario was still stuck to his wall. He didn't move for a long time. His nerves were so wrought and his muscles so tired he didn't know how much longer he could stay on his feet. He was a wreck. He kept on imagining that his foot would slip, and then there would be one less plumber in the world. He tried to shake his thoughts and think of other things. He spoke nervously to himself.

"Just think of you and Luigi and Peach, happy, at her beach house----" Mario stopped. "Luigi," he simply said. "I guess I over-reacted….when I called you those things. I'm just…..so ...mad." He frowned, and looked at the ceiling then down at the pit. Then he yelled, "This isn't Luigi's fault! This is all your doing, Koopa! Your such a smelly, awful, rude, reptile!! If you think you're so tough, come on down here and show me what you've got!!"

Mario should _nooooot_ have said that, because the floor began to move again, removing 6 inches, then stopped. Mario had one foot left of space. He clung to the wall and cried out, unable to not look at the gaping chasm before. He felt himself lose his balance. _This is it,_ he thought in horror. _I am going to die!!"_

Something hit him in the head, and he fell forward. His hands reached out to empty space,....……and caught a rope!

"Aaaaahhh!!" He grabbed it tightly as he swung back to what remained of the floor. He gasped and caught his breath, still clinging to the rope for balance. Looking up, he saw Peach's head sticking out from a large air vent 6 feet above his head.

"I agree," she nodded enthusiastically. "Koopa is quite the menace."

Mario could have fainted. "Thanks f-for the rope," he managed quietly. "But next time, c-c-ould you warn me when you're going to s-save me?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. And hey, if you feel the need to leave, just climb the rope. It's not going anywhere."

"J-j-just let me, catch m-my breath…" Mario answered shakily.

"Sure thing," said Peach happily.

Some minutes later, Mario was safe in the large air vent, catching his breath _again_.

"Man, you need to work out or something," joked Peach. "Hey," snapped Mario. "My weight and exercise is none of your busin---" Peach clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shhh." She hissed. "He might hear you." Mario was utterly confused, but submitted. "Sorry about what I said. You're right, it's none of my business," whispered Peach. "I'm not sure why yet, but we have to stay positive. Like what Bowser said: Stay friendly."

Mario shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever," he said. "First things first: we need to find Luigi."

"Yes, we do," affirmed Peach fearfully. "Good thing I found you…just in time." She stopped.

"Is there something I don't know?" asked Mario worriedly. Peach sighed and tried to find the right words.

"Bowser put us all through what you went through…only, different. He knows our fears, Mario. Our phobias. He did this so he could take the Mushroom World, and you two would be dead, only in an 'interesting' way."

"Well, if you see him, let him know that death by heights is not the way I wanna go," grumbled Mario.

"If you think that's bad, try spiders in the dark!" Peach shivered involuntarily.

**What about death by chocolate?**

(I'm thinking of something, Peach. Guess what it is. Small, yet annoying....)

**Oh, fine. Commence if you must.**

"Phobias, who needs 'em?" Mario stopped and a scared expression crossed his face. "We have to find Luigi," hurried Mario, as they set out in search of the missing plumber. **Hey, that sounds like the title of another fanfic. Hmmm….**

(Oh, no you don't! Don't you get anymore ideas! I'd be surprised if we even _survive_ this one…)

**That's for me to know and you to find out, bucko…**

~

~

*Author's Note: I did not make up that oh-so-funny-and-yet-so-mean name Mario used to refer to Luigi. The credit goes to my brother's friend, G.*

~


	5. Water, water, everywhere...

Story

~

Mario and Peach crawled through the maze of the air vent. Their trek took much longer than expected because they had to decide which turn to make when they reached branches in the tunnel.

Mario called out to Peach ahead of him, "Think we could take a break? My knees are killing me."

"We can't stop! We have to find Luigi." She paused and offered the position of leading to Mario. He politely declined. She suddenly looked behind her as they continued. "You're not just saying that so you can look up my d---aaah!!" She disappeared.

Mario crawled fast to the hole that Peach fell through. She clung to the edge, fingers slipping from their grip. "A little help?" she asked terrified. Mario pulled Peach out of the hole, and they sat in the vent, catching their breath. "That was close," Peach said. Mario just nodded. He looked down the opening carefully. Mario shivered to think of how high up they were. It was almost 50 feet deep, a small empty room. It looked like a bundle of something was in one corner.

Mario brightened up. "Hey! Luigi!" he called. Peach gasped and joined him at the hole. He was sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs, head buried in his arms. He looked up slowly. He didn't smile or respond. He just looked up pathetically.

Mario softened. "Come on, Luigi. We're gonna get you out of there. But first you have to help us think of how." Luigi's gaze moved to the wall ahead of him. He seemed expressionless, and his eyes were like glass. Mario tried again.

"Come on, buddy, we need you to help us." No response. Peach moved in and spoke gently.

"Luigi, sweetie. Bowser did this to us too. But we're gonna be ok. You've got to help us think of how to get you out…" He didn't budge.

"Luigi," Mario said simply. Luigi looked back up. Mario lowered his arm through the opening, in a gesture of wanting to help. Luigi opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't need you," he said bitterly.

Mario winced. "Luigi. No, think positive…."

Luigi yelled back at him.

"Buzz off, butthead—thhhpbpbbp!!!" Luigi sputtered as a long jet of water shot into his face from a hole in the wall opposite him. Now three more holes in each wall unleashed freezing cold water into the cramped room. Luigi looked up in fear. It was as if he underwent a transformation.

"Mama mia! Get me out!!" he shouted. Mario looked to Peach. "What'll we do??" he was near hysterics himself.

"Why do we need to worry? He'll just float to the top!"

"_He can't swim!!_" Mario shouted.

Peach gasped wrung her hands, then exclaimed, "Oh!" She reached into her dress a third time, and brought out a slim chain link ladder, with wooden rungs in between. Mario gaped. "Where do you fin-----why didn't you get this earli--nevermind." They threw down one end of the escape ladder.

"Climb up!" shouted Peach. The water was already above Luigi's waist. He scrambled up the ladder as quick as he could. It took longer than he thought, the ladder was so much smaller than him.

He made it up halfway, when he saw a metal loop in the ladder start to twist and bend threateningly. He froze and shouted, "Loose link! Loose link!!"

"Hurry!" Mario shouted. Luigi continued his frantic climb. He was nearly there, when he grabbed the broken rung by accident. The link snapped, and one end of the ladder broke off, falling to the cold waters below. Luigi clung desperately to the broken wooden rung with one hand. He cried out and looked up in fright as Mario hopelessly reached out a hand to help.

"You're almost there!"

"No…." cried Luigi, looking back nervously. His hand began to slip as he reached with his other to take his brother's hand.

Mario stretched, but it was a hopeless effort. They were too far apart. Luigi's hand slid off the rung, and he fell into the rising water with a huge splash.

"Luigi!!" They two screamed. They watched the surface of the dark water, searching. Finally Luigi bobbed up and splashed wildly.

"Help!!" he coughed. The water seemed almost black, and aside from rising higher, it came crashing on Luigi in waves as if it were the ocean.

Peach watched helplessly. "You have to go get him!" she yelled to Mario.

"Me?? You're kidding! It's too high! You go!"

"Like I can save someone twice my weight!" she shouted back sarcastically. "Mario, this is you brother! You have to hurry!" Luigi was getting tired and struggled to stay afloat; the water was too high.

Mario looked through the opening and grimaced. Although the water was filled to half the height of the room, it still made quite a fall. He looked for Luigi, and what he saw instead filled him with horror. A hand, searching, grasping, slowly sank in the dark water. He saw Luigi no more.

Mario closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He removed his hat and handed it to Peach. "Here," he said, and quickly lowered himself through the hole. His hands gripped the edge of the opening. He hung there for what seemed like hours (**again**), and made the mistake of looking down. He cried out and tried to climb back up. But Peach wouldn't let him. She took a plastic baseball bat out of her dress and said loudly, "This is for your own good!" and bonked him on the head. He fell from the ceiling, screaming.

"Whoooaaa!" he hit the water hard, and he rose to the surface, calling for his brother.

"Luigi!!" he shouted. He searched the surface of the water frantically. "Man, that's cold!" He held his breath as he dived under. Peach waited at the top, holding her breath as well, looking for the two plumbers.

Mario blindly swam through the cold, dark mess, when he kicked something soft. He turned around and grabbed an unconscious Luigi, and he desperately tried to swim upward. He reached the surface and gasped, keeping Luigi's head above the water.

Peach in the meantime found yet another chain link escape ladder in her dress. **??** She dropped one end into the room and secured the other end.

Mario struggled to swim to the ladder, and somehow escaped with Luigi over his shoulder. They reached the opening, soaking wet, and Luigi lay in the vent…not breathing.

Peach and Mario looked at each other grimly. Unfortunately, neither of them had taken a real CPR course, and were at a loss as to what to do.

Mario knelt by his brother, and started to push his stomach.

"Come on, Luigi…." He pleaded.

Only ten seconds later did Luigi's eyes open. He coughed and choked, trying to sit up. Peach helped him up, and Mario embraced him hard. Luigi's teeth chattered as he worked to breath normally. Mario looked at him and smiled sadly.

"I can't lose you now….you still owe me 20 coins." Luigi grinned weakly. His smile abruptly faded. His breathing was rapid again.

"Why are we in an air vent?" he screeched. Thinking quick, Mario pulled Luigi's cap out of his brother's pocket and pulled it down over Luigi's eyes.

"There," he said decidedly. "Now it won't bother you anymore." Peach drew his attention in the opening. Luigi's room was absolutely filled with water, and was starting to spill over into the vent. They hurried into the maze of tunnels, leading the blinded Luigi.

~

~

*Author's Note: I hope that was suspenseful. And yes, I'll admit that was a bit mushy. But this is the way I write. If you don't like it...don't read it!!!* 


	6. This could be the end...

Story

~

The trio quickly made their way out of the air vent, and made a short drop to the ground below. They removed Luigi's hat, and found themselves back in the halls of mirrors. "Not again!" groaned Mario. They heard a loud buzz, and looked up, fearfully.

"Well, well, well," spoke Bowser slowly, obviously very angry. "It seems my little plan has failed. Oh no! What shall I do?" he cried sarcastically. "Let's see. I could kill you all now and be done with it. Or I could put you back in your cells and torture you some more.."

"No please!" cried Luigi, getting on his knees. "Anything but that!!" Peach gasped, realizing she made the same mistake. Mario rolled his eyes. "Limp noodle," he muttered under his breath.

Bowser grinned. "Anything, Luigi?"

"Yes!!" he shouted right before Peach slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Very well. You and Peach may go, but Mario must stay here." Everyone fell silent and gaped.

"But you asked if _I_ would do anything!" yelled Luigi. "You're asking Mario!"

"On the contrary, my little green friend. I'm asking you to leave him." No one moved.

"I can't leave you," said Luigi loudly. "You're the one that saved me." Mario didn't answer.

"Ahem!" Luigi looked to Peach. "I helped too, you know." Luigi looked down at the ground.

Mario spoke quietly. "Go. You don't want to be in that room again." Luigi looked up. "No," he said plainly. He looked to the ceiling and yelled at the top of his voice.

"NO! I will NOT leave! I'm going to stay right here! And so is Peach!…..huh?" He looked around and caught Peach jumping for the air vent. "Oh, uh….yes. I'm staying too." Luigi glared at her. "No, I mean it!" she said. "I am staying!' she shouted. At that moment, a mirror came crashing down, shattereing into thousands of pieces. **Random? I don't think so….**

Mario tried to convince his brother other-wise. "Luigi, think! You don't want to go back to that room."

Luigi took a deep breath. "I'd rather be there than desert you." Strangely, another mirror fell from its place. They looked around, confused. Then it hit Peach. **No, not the mirror. She understands now…(finally.)**

*(That does it!! Listen, you!! I know where you live, and I've seen where you sleep! I swear on everything holy, your mother will _CRY_ when she's seen what I've done to you!!!)*

**Methinks this is my cue to leave…. *exits quickly***

The Mario brothers stare at the Princess. Luigi shakes his head. "Anyhow…..I'm not leaving."

"Yes, you are!" pushed Mario. "You'll die of fright just being in that room!"

"I'm not going!"

"Oh, yes you are!"

"Oh, no I'm not!"

"Oh, no he's not!" joined Bowser.

"Oh, please shutup!" mimicked Peach. To their surprise, the mirror that had last fallen down returned to it's normal form on the wall. Peach kicked herself mentally and whispered something to Mario.

"What are you telling him, you anorexic fruit?" roared Bowser. Peach clenched her fists but remained calm. The she whispered to Luigi. Both their eyes lit up with understanding, and Luigi spoke.

"Oh, but Mario, I have to stay here. With out you, I'm just a plumber that no one cares about." A mirror crashed on the floor. "With you I have more popularity, a warm place to stay, and a brother who loves me….and I love him." Added Luigi with flair.

"What?" shouted Bowser in the microphone as two more mirrors fell. "Luigi, uh…you don't really feel like that, right?"

"Of course I do! Mario is the best brother anyone could ever have!" Three more mirrors. It grew lighter in the corridor.

"No, but…" Bowser fumbled for words. "Remember the time….I mean,…." He grinned as he had an idea. "Wanna know what Mario said about you?" Luigi and Peach looked at the older plumber, who looked away, whistling nervously. Luigi looked at him suspiciously.

"No, I don't want to know." Five more mirrors, seven more….now it seemed it was as bright as day.

"AARGGH!!" Bowser roared as the three covered themselves for protection and all the mirrors came crashing down……

~

*Yes, yes, I know. This chapter was short and mushy, and that bit of insult Peach said was from Tommy Boy. Please keep reading* 


	7. Epilogue

Story

~

*One last reminder…. (Mario); [Luigi]; *(Peach)*; **Me**

~

Mario carefully stood up, covered in reflective glass. He brushed himself off and looked around. "What a mess," he said, noticing the shattered mirror strewn on the floor.

They were surrounded by nothing, if that is indeed possible. Just dark, nothingness. But he spotted a door close by as the other two removed themselves from the mess. Mario walked to the door and opened it carefully. Smiling, he threw it open for the others to see. It was a warp door to Peach's beach house.

Happily they walked through, and shut the door behind them, which immediately disappeared. They looked at their surroundings…and crashed on the ground, relieved.

"Mama mia!" exclaimed Peach. "What a relief to be safe again!"

"Hey Luigi," Mario asked. "Did you really mean everything you said in there?"

"Uhhhh," Luigi winced. "Not…really. I said it so we could get out of there."

"Good!" his older brother replied. "It made me sick."

You basically know what happens from here on…..They lived happily ever after! **Until Bowser comes back with a new and improved idea….**

(Well, aren't YOU the optimist?)

**Hey, watch your back, plumber. I'm the author here, I can do what I want.**

[Yeah? Well, can you juggle two TVs?] **he begins to perform the spoken task**

*(Ummm…Luigi?……..why?!?!?.)*

(Well, why did _you_ say Mama mia?? You line-stealer, you...)

**Anyway, did anyone here learn something from this?**

*(I know! I know! We should be nicer to each other. Bowser made his Fun House to measure our feelings. If we were feeling negative, he'd make the conditions of our rooms worse for us. By being nice and good, we destroyed it. )*

**Excellent! And have we learned something about phobias as well?**

ALL: Yes!

[Why does Peach get to be the hero this time?] **muttering at the same time**

**And you're not going to let them scare you anymore! You look them right in the eye and say-----**

(You must be joking! I'm never going to visit the Grand Canyon, that's for sure!)

*(I'm buying as much Raid as I possibly can. AND 100 flashlights…)*

(…Isn't Raid for ants?)

**What? Surely you're not still afraid!..….Luigi? Are you with me?**

[Startled, he drops a TV on his foot, and his mouth opens wide, not making a sound. He quickly shuts it and shakes his head no.]

**Huh, you guys are pathetic! You take the ultimate test of courage against the worst, and you're no better than----**

(Hey! If I wanted to overcome my phobia, I would have asked to be on "Survivor"! And what's YOUR fear, anyway?)

*(Luigi's turning red…)*

**Ummm, I can't say.**

(Why not? You know ours.)

**My mother told me not to talk to strangers…**

*(You need help, child!)*

*sadly* **I know….sniff.**

(You knew all along, didn't you?)

**The secret to get out? Yep.**

(So…..WHY DIDN'T OUY HELP US?)

**This was something you needed to do on your own. Plus, you didn't seem to _want_ my help.** **turns nose up in the air**

[That's because you get a thrill out of making bad jokes!]

**You're mean! Oh, that reminds me….What did Snow White say when she dropped off her film?**

ALL, covering their ears: NO! MAKE IT STOP!!

**She sings, "Someday, my 'prints' will come…" Heehee…..**

~

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The End~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ** ~

~

~

***So, review and tell me……what's your phobia?***


End file.
